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hmm a change in my nitrate reading

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my tank has been reading 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and 5.0 nitrate for about 2 weeks now maybe 3 i am losing track of my days.. tonight when i tested it's reading 0 ammonia, 0 nitrite and 0 nitrate. i thought the tank would always register some? what in the world is going on... I'm almost afraid to research it...

I take it you are cycling your tank because of the threads' location. Am I correct in assuming this? If so, How much ammo are you dosing and how often? What size tank is it? This is a fishless cycle, yes?

well my tank has been cycled for about 2 weeks.. but i believed it to be cycled before and found out it wasnt... so i thought this might be the best place? i have been treating my tank for a fungus for 5 days now and have read here and there it can mess up you BB when you use meds? can a cycled tank read 0 nitrates?

it is planted. i did a 30% wc yesterday before giving my tank a 2nd dose of fungus meds. ive had my tank for about 6 or 7 weeks now.. i ended up cycling with fish because i was using test strips instead of the api liquid kit i use now... and honestly although i was reading a ton about it i really had no clue what i was doing..

for around 2 weeks i've had great readings. no ammonia or nitrites and a steady 5.0 nitrate reading. suddenly tonight its gone.. and I'm a little worried about my cycle

nitrate testing can be tricky if not done right: always shake bottle one and add 10 drops to your vial. Then shake bottle 2 for 30 full seconds. Add 10 drops. Cap and shake for 60 seconds then wait 5 minutes for a reading.
You should take this reading before you do a water change not after.
Also, as long as you are showing 0 ammonia and nitrites, I wouldn't worry about having lost your cycle. You have plants, you've been treating for fungus and you're not heavily stocked. A 0 nitrate reading is not unheard of.

I take one before I do the change and every night in between. it doesn't say anything about messing up my biological filter on the package but i did add 6 stems of ancharis (sp?) on saturday. the reading is still the same. If i triggered a mini cycle would something else be showing up like ammonia?

I take one before I do the change and every night in between. it doesn't say anything about messing up my biological filter on the package but i did add 6 stems of ancharis (sp?) on saturday. the reading is still the same. If i triggered a mini cycle would something else be showing up like ammonia?

LOL! i will shake it more and see if that helps.

As long as you have 0 ammonia and nitrites, you have not lost your cycle. and adding plants will make no difference in your cycle but it will potentially cut down on nitrates which is always a good thing :o)

If the BB colony was altered by your meds. an ammonia reading may show up in the next few days.As fishmommie said, 0ppm nitrate in a tank can be normal.
I too have a 0ppm nitrate reading in my tank which has been running for over a year.
Like you it's lightly stocked.
Just watch for ammonia in case your meds. did effect your BB for the next few days. If it did you know what to do. Water changes.